Tomas de Torquemada: Architect of Torture During the Spanish Inquisition

Attila the Hun: Leader of the Barbarian Hordes

Cixi: Evil Empress of China?

Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo

Genghis Kahn: 13th Century Mongolian Tyrant

Henry VIII: Royal Beheader

King George III: America’s Enemy

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula

Otto von Bismarck: Iron Chancellor of Germany

Napoleon I: Emperor and Conqueror

Francisco Pizarro: Destroyer of the Inca Empire

Sir Francis Drake: Slave Trader and Pirate

Alexander the Great: Master of the Ancient World

Mary Tudor: Courageous Queen or Bloody Mary?

Ivan the Terrible: Tsar of Death

Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia

Hannibal: Rome’s Worst Nightmare

Robespierre: Master of the Guillotine

Julius Caesar: Dictator for Life

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As biographies go, Vlad was pretty straightforward. It’s clearly a series built on the premise of snaring readers with a bit of sensationalism. But, from the viewpoint of a teacher and librarian, I can’t say I completely disapprove.

Strengths: The publishers hearts appear to be in the right place. Get them reading. I think we can all appreciate that it sometimes takes some pretty flashy stuff to get the attention of younger readers. This is a good way to whet their appetites for reading nonfiction. There will probably be more than a few morbid-minded readers in the audience that may be driven to read more. There are maps, glossaries, timelines, etc., all of which are good additions.

Potential Flaws: What appears to be a boon is also something of a weakness here. As a sampling, it’s somewhat interesting, but they do lack depth. There is only so far you can go in a volume so slim. A number of reviews I found (none by major publications, unfortunately) cite the viewpoints of these books to be pretty negative and one-sided.

My Rating:

If you take these books at face value, they’re at least a way to get some readers to foray into nonfiction. While they rely on some sensationalism, it’s somewhat watered down. Readers expecting a spectacle will be disappointed.